The TombsAn Interview with Director Jerry Lamothe
By Wilson Morales
September 15, 2011
With the Urbanworld Film Festival getting rolling in New York this week (Sept. 14-18), one of the most anticipated films playing will be the short film, ‘The Tombs,’ which was written and directed by Jerry Lamothe.
A Brooklyn man‘s three day journey through New York‘s central booking jail system, infamously known as “The Tombs” and the interesting personalities he encounters while locked up. The primary functions of Central Booking are the processing, admission, and cellblock lodging of persons under arrest where prisoner intake is conducted and photographs & fingerprints are taken.
For Lamothe, the film represents a new outlook for him in that his last movie, 2007’s ‘Blackout,’ starred Zoe Saldana, Jerry Lamothe, Saul Rubinek, and Jamie Hector. The film was the Urbanworld’s opening night selection. With a short film, it doesn’t get the same single coverage/ press as a feature film normally receives.
But at the same time, short films are, in some cases, great stories are told and where new talents are discovered.
In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Lamothe goes over film, ‘The Tombs,’ and the challenges of making a short film after having done numerous feature films.
What’s the story about?
Jerry Lamothe: The story’s about a one man’s three day journey through the New York central booking jail system, and while there he comes across interesting personalities and characters during his incarceration.
Having done a number of features films in the last few years, including ‘Blackout,’ which starred a couple of high profiled names like Jeffrey Wright and Zoe Saldana, why go back to doing a short films. Isn’t that the opposite of a filmmaker’s background, short film first then feature film?
JL: That’s a very good question and had you asked me that five years ago, I would have agreed with you. What led me to shoot this short film were a number of reasons. One is that as an artist, I have several feature films in development, however, in the interim of getting those projects off the ground, things have been idle with the recession. Being an independent filmmaker and with the way the economy was in ’07, ’08 and ’09, with ‘Blackout’ being my last film four years ago, as an artist you start to stave creatively being idle. We have the confident to create, whether it’s a feature film or documentary or a web series, it’s very important to remain sharp and to remain working. That was one of the reasons I decided to shoot the film, and several of my business partners and colleagues thought that it was time to come out with something just to stay in the mix. We wanted to come out with something we can hit the film festival circuit with and create some buzz and keep the momentum going. I also noticed over the last couple of years, a lot of careers have been built on short films. You can garner a lot of attention if you can get accepted into the right film festivals. Some of these directors have gone on to do feature films or work in the television industry.
Can you go over the cast in ‘The Tombs?’
JL: The key cast consists of Nashawn Kearse, Jas Anderson, Arthur French, Rob Morgan, and Akintola Jay. I would also like to give Ephraim Benton a shout out. I love doing ensemble pieces and I think these guys are some of the strongest up and coming young black talent in New York. There’s a certain edge and passion in them and although some of them are fairly recognizable from previous work experience on films or TV, they are relatively unknown to a lot of people. I intentionally did that because, as I have worked with name actors such as Zoe Saldana and Jeffrey Wright, I also want to be looked at as a filmmakers who can break out actors and build strong relationships. It was challenging and entertaining for me to flex some muscle as I work with fresh new talent from New York.
From the films that you have written such as ‘Amour Infinity’ to ‘Blackout,’ you seem to create an environment that people can relate to. Is ‘The Tombs’ something you can relate to?
JL: Absolutely. Out of habit and my upbringing, I tend to be very reserve and a private person. With this film, as like the other films I’ve written, the story tends to be autobiographical. A few years back, I was in an unfortunate circumstance where I was wrongly incarcerated and it was really a wake-up call for me. To be in the system for three days and see how it works, and be in place of helplessness and have a lack of control was a nerving experience. Whether you are innocent or guilty, you are these people’s mercy. They can pretty much dictate and determine your outcome any which way they choose. Everyone is crying out “I’m innocent” and you with someone who may have done something as simple as jumping the train fare to a hardened criminal. In there, everyone is the same. That can be a scary situation for someone who is innocent.
I noticed that one of the producers of the films is Tami Roman from VH1’s ‘Basketball Wives.’ How did she become a part of this project?
JL: Contrary to what most people believe right now because of her current work and fame from VH1’s ‘Basketball Wives,’ Tami has been an actress for over 15 years and has even shot some short films herself in the past and has done guest appearances on numerous shows. Over the last year, and through her love and passion for the arts, and help balance things out with her current fame, wanted to venture more in the producing arena. She was more than happy to be involved with ‘The Tombs’ because the film is basically the launching film for our production company, Sleep/Study Entertainment. We want to start off small and show what we are capable of doing, and tell the stories we want to tell, and that’s how Tami became a producer on the project. Hopefully, this is the first of many to come in our ventures together professionally.
When it comes to festivals, short films don’t tend to be at the top of must-see films for filmgoers. What’s going to attract folks to see ‘The Tombs?’
JL: I think that was one of the challenges going in when doing a short film and for me, that’s a huge adjustment because you’re talking to someone whose films have played in numerous festivals as a feature film, and in some cases was the opening night for them. It’s a huge transition from being at the top of the press release to being in the middle of 20-30 short films or in some cases, even more. What I have going for me and what I consider an advantage is having a strong fan base. People are familiar with my name and my work and we in general are always hungry for strong content, and good material. Although it’s a short film, it’s highly anticipated. Most of the promotions I’ve done for my films have been through the internet, social media and word of mouth. Although it’s a short film, the quality and content is just as good as a feature film. We are strongly encouraging people to support the film, as well as other short films, and the festival itself.
